If you’re a die-hard Robeez fan (me! me!) then I bet you’ve collected every dog, cat, and train design they offer. But if you’ve admired the function and fit of the shoes while waiting for some alternative designs, then stop tapping your foot and grab your wallet.

With two little girls, I’ve got boxes full of dress-up clothes for rainy days. Fringed flapper dresses, feather boas, and sequinned high heels – they’ve got it all. But why should girls have all the fun?

Now that Spring is here, that necessary evil known as the spontaneous downpour is in your immediate future. Of course to your kids, it’s not evil at all–just necessary. How else would they be able to jump in puddles, destroy their overpriced shoes, soil their pants, and generally make us crazy?

All the 3-going-on-14 little girl’s clothes have forced me to become a traditionalist when it comes to dressing my daughter. I’m into the fairly standard tops, bottoms, and dresses — no ridiculous mini skirts or shiny half-shirts for my toddler. But when it comes to shoes, I like to live on the wild side.

In the spring, a mother’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of… shoes, of course! I love browsing the ballet flats and strappy sandals available for my little girls. But I get tired of the selection at my local big box store, and don’t like paying the extra bucks for shoes adorned with the latest TV character du jour.

We know there’s no shortage of leather baby booties on the market these days — all of which are terribly cute and perfect for those crawlers and early-walkers. But if you’relooking for a shoe that no one else in the playgroup is likely to have,you might give Cute Baby Shoes a try.

For a woman like me with an utter and undeniable shoe fetish, it absolutely blows my mind that my daughter owned a single pair of shoes until she was actually walking. Who was this practical mom? And will she please stay away until after baby #2 comes along in a couple of months?

I think that most every girl dreams of being a ballerina at some point. I did, even as I was rolling in mud puddles or pummeling a soccer ball. I confess in fact that I still harbor fantasies of a steamy pas de deux with Baryshnikov. Oh, Misha. If only.